Tamzin Outhwaite and husband "sad to separate" one year after birth of their second child

Tamzin Outhwaite and Tom Ellis have split after seven years together.The couple have two young daughters together. (Photo: CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)The couple were married for seven years. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for BFI)Tom Ellis and Tamsin Outhwaite attend the Attitude Magazine Awards at One Mayfair on October 16, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)Tom Ellis and Tamzin Outhwaite attend The 2012 Arqiva British Academy Television Awards. (Photo by Tim Whitby/Getty Images)

Tamzin Outhwaite and her husband Tom Ellis have separated after seven years of marriage.

The couple, who have two young daughters together, said they were “sad” to separate but confirmed today that they will remain friends.

“Tamzin Outhwaite and Tom Ellis are sad to confirm they have separated. They continue to support each other as parents and will remain friends. They ask for sensitivity at this difficult time,” their statement read.

Outhwaite, 42, and Ellis, 34, got married in June 2006, just a year after meeting through a mutual friend.

They are parents to four-year-old Florence Ellis and one-year-old Marnie Mae Ellis.

Actor Ellis stars in BBC sitcom ‘Miranda’ and is shooting his lead role in ABC pilot show Gothica. Outhwaite’s next project is BBC drama ‘New Tricks’. Both actors have starred in Eastenders.